Real Estate - Foreclosure

Foreclosure Sale Information:

All foreclosure sale information is furnished by the Sheriff's Office for sales located within Pottawattamie County. This information is not a substitute for official publication required by Iowa State Law. Those notices are published in local newspapers.

Real Estate Foreclosure sales are posted in three (3) public places before the sale, at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse, Council Bluffs City Hall and at the Council Bluffs Public Library. There are two (2) publications prior to the sale in local newspaper legal sections.

The Sheriff's Office does not have the authority to show any property.

Information on the property is limited to published and posted information.Most of these sales are for mortgage foreclosures, which means that the debtor is in arrears on the mortgage.The sale may be a foreclosure of a second mortgage rather than a first mortgage, which will leave the first mortgage still in place.There also may be stipulations in the foreclosure decree that have special provisions for certain debts. (such as: This foreclosure does not include the debt owed to John Jones)

The sheriff's office cannot guarantee clear title to the property.

The Sheriff reserves the right to refuse bids from any bidders that demonstrate a pattern of nonpayment on previously accepted bids (626.80).

Each property should be researched before bidding, such as a title search, ascertaining if there is any unpaid taxes or special assessments, etc.You may want to also check to be sure that all persons who have judgments against the debtor have been listed in the foreclosure decree.

As with any real property purchase, it is advisable to have an attorney who is knowledgeable in real estate matters check into the property.

THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE CANNOT GIVE OUT LEGAL ADVICE

Real estate foreclosure sales are open to the public. All sales begin in the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office lobby at 1400 Big Lake Road, Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the published and posted date at 10:00 A.M. These sales may be cancelled and or postponed prior to the date of sale by the plaintiff and will be announced the date of the sale. The Sheriff's Office will have an opening bid provided by the plaintiff at the time of sale to start the bidding process. The winning bid will be awarded to the highest bidder for cash in hand on the date of sale. The highest bidder on the date of sale will have two (2) hours to pay the Sheriff's Office the total amount by cash, or bank funds. Personal checks are NOT accepted.

Any persons wishing to bid on property must be pre-registered and provide valid state issued identification. All registration must be complete before 10:00 am. The bidder registration form can be found on this website (See link below) or at the sheriff’s office. Upon registration, bidders will be assigned a badge number to be used during the sale. All badges must be returned at the end of the sale.

If there is a redemption period for the property being sold at a Sheriff's Sale, a "Certificate of Purchase" will be given to the purchaser. Once the redemption period has expired, the purchaser will need to give the Sheriff's Office the original "Certificate of Purchase" and a Sheriff's Deed will be issued (providing the property has not been redeemed) There is a $30.00 charge for an issued Sheriff's Deed. If there is no redemption period for the property being sold at a Sheriff's Sale, a Sheriff's Deed will be issued.

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